Speed Racer Blu-rayReview

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By Christopher Monfette

With the release of Speed Racer, it's becoming clear that the Wachowskis are not unlike David Mamet or Wes Anderson in that they have their own distinctive, consistent filmmaking style. It's their persistence in the belief that action and dialogue should seldom if ever take place at the same time — essentially, there is a time for talking and a time for fighting, and never the two shall meet.

This began way back in 1999's The Matrix, where moments of great philosophical rhetoric receded only long enough for the characters to kick the crap out of each other. Almost 10 years later, they have at last perfected this speech-action-speech rhythm with Speed Racer — a film of such (literal) blinding ambition, artistic pretense and undeniable entertainment value that the Wachowskis may indeed have created the second truly iconic film of their young careers

Whatever your thoughts about the movie – certainly, some loved it while others loved it less so – Speed Racer was one of those films where audiences left thinking to themselves, "Damn, I can't wait to see this on Blu-ray!" Fortunately, the high-definition transfer lives up to expectations, providing what might be the most vibrant, visually-captivating Blu-ray release to date. The movie moves fast, and either it launches forward too swiftly for any flaws to be noticeable within the split-second editing, or there really are very few visible issues. The coloring is perfect – almost over-bright – and there's very little artificating even in the most quickly-paced sequences. This is a remarkably beautiful transfer – free from additional grain or noise – and it's a guarantee to be at the top of the best-looking, if not necessarily the best, Blu-rays in your collection.

Score: 10 out of 10

Languages and Audio

The sound is nearly as equally impressive. Big, loud, directional and robust, the audio mix delivers a sizeable and voluminous transfer. Unfortunately, it's offered here only in Dolby Digital 5.1 – a completely suitable mix for most listeners, but seemingly light with regard to the HD audio delivered by lesser discs. The soundtrack leaves a little to be desired, but the speakers really begin to pulse and shake in the racing sequences. It's here where the directional moments really define the surround in the term "surround sound." Overall, this is a great audio mix for a standard-def DVD, but lacks a little in the Blu-ray department. All in all, a very tight and entertaining soundscape.

Score: 9 out of 10

Extras and Packaging

A pretty basic set of extras for such a complexly-orchestrated piece of cinema. Alas, we're only offered three featurettes and a fairly sub-standard DVD game.

Speed Race: Car-Fu Cinema

Speed Racer: Supercharged

Spritle in the Big Leagues

Speed Racer Crucible Challenge

The only real feature of consequence here is "Car-Fu," a half-hour look behind the visual-effects work and design of the Speed Racer universe. This is really the meat and potatoes of the disc, offering a fascinating look at how the conventions of cartoons could be effectively translated into the live-action framework of film. From the green-screen, to the car design, to the creative transitions – everything here is covered, at least in brief, giving a quick overview of the film's production. The only problem, however, is that this 30-minute affair could easily have been expanded into a number of half-hour effects featurettes. Also, lacking a commentary, there's no real attention paid to how the story gets translated. The focus is 100% on the look and nothing on the narrative.

"Superchared" offers a 15-minute look at the individual cars and drivers, providing blueprints for each vehicle and detailed outlines of their various weapons and pilots. It's a novelty inclusion, but a fun one at that, and in even in such a fictional presentation, it's an interesting look at the thought put into the design of each car. Lastly "Sprittle in the Big Leagues" is a rehash of the "Tonks" featurette on the last Harry Potter DVD – a brief tour of the film set offered up by one of the cast members. In this case, the young Sprittle. Yes, it's slightly amusing and funny, but completely insubstantial.

Lastly, the game is terrible. Just awful. When will studios and filmmakers realize that just because DVD and Blu-ray offer the possibility of interactivity, that doesn't mean it's alright to include a sub-standard game. Previously, we'd called for a first-person, racecar POV of each of the major tracks. This game kind of offers that in the form of a reflext test. Press the direction so as to avoid hitting the cars in front of you. Thing is – there's a substantial pause as the disc loads the animation after each button-press, killing the flow of the game. Completely forgettable.